Okay, so you run a relatively low-risk workplace. Maybe it’s an office or a small retailer or a coffee shop, somewhere where you don’t need forklifts, power tools or deep fryers. These environments actually bring their own hazards in that we tend to be most vulnerable when we are least prepared. The simplest tasks are perhaps not quite as likely to lead to injury as, say, working in sanitation or long-haul trucking, but that doesn’t mean that the risk is completely non-existent. Here are a few tasks that seem easy enough, but where safety precautions should nevertheless be taken:
Walking
Okay, that one sounds ridiculous, right? But how many times have you walked through a cluttered room crossing your fingers that you don’t trip on something, or that nothing falls on you? Simple falls actually account for around $8.61 in costs a year, at 16.9% of all injuries. Simple falls are the number two cause of all workplace injuries.
Lifting and Carrying
Overexertion is the number one cause of on-the-job injury, and you don’t need to be working on a construction site for this to happen to you. How many times have you seen an employee trying to carry several boxes of files at once instead of just going to the janitor’s closet and grabbing a dolly? Overexertion related injuries from lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling or simply holding something too heavy make up around 26.8% of annual workplace injuries. Make sure your employees practice common sense and that they don’t try to lift anything they can’t comfortable carry.
Paperwork
The National Safety Council has pointed out that it’s actually surprisingly dangerous to leave a whole bunch of drawers open in a file cabinet. Remember that most of the weight in a file cabinet is in the drawers. Pop open too many at a time and these cabinets can become unbalanced and tip over, leading to serious injury.
Typing
Not all injuries involve a sudden accident. Carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS-like symptoms are said to affect around half of all office workers according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Regular breaks and ergonomic equipment can help to prevent these symptoms from developing.
Sitting, standing, walking, typing, these all seem like safe enough activities, and there are more dangerous jobs, of course, but any time you’re using your body, there is the potential for injury if you’re not careful.
